Trinity
by GNT613
Summary: Leave it to the great Ben Wade to prove him wrong. Rated M for later chapters...and profanity...
1. Prologue

A/N: My first Yuma-fic. This one has not been Beta-read. I didn't have anyone to o it at the time of its first publication. Still, I hope you guys like it. Constructive criticism please if any.

Prologue: Prodigal

The feel of cold metal against his temple has become expected. This was a sort of nightly ritual for them. Charlie doesn't care. He's still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he should be dead. He would be dead, but Wade…Wade, it seems, had other plans.

Charlie sees this as a punishment. He had been a bad boy, heard the Boss scream no and kept on shootin' anyway. But he saw the look Ben gave the damn rancher and he couldn't handle it.

Ben's first shot shocked the hell out of him; he'll always the look in them beautiful eyes full of rage and hate. The look of the dark angel as he yanked him close and pressed the muzzle into Charlie's chest. He knew that Ben was going to deliver the last bullet straight into his heart he just knew it. Leave it to the great Ben Wade to prove him wrong.

The first bullet hit Charlie in the chest just below his heart and lungs. The second shot, the one aimed for his heart ends up breaking his damn clavicle. So the vain and restless Charlie Prince is bed ridden for two months.

'Lesson learned,' he thinks.'

But more on that later, because the gun is doing something its never done before; it's nudging his head. This is a first, so, without meaning to, Charlie reacts raising a confused brow at the ceiling and blinking. He tries to ignore it again, but now that it just keeps poking his temple it making his head ache more then it already does.

"The hell do you want? If ya ain't gonna shoot me then you best be leaving me alone," he tells the boy as sharply as he can.

"I should kill you. After what you done to my Pa."

Charlie almost says 'He started it' but catches himself.

"He's alive ain't he?"

The boy gives him a grudging look because they both know the answer to that. Charlie didn't need to be told, he saw the look in the Boss' eyes. He was coming back for the rancher, and maybe for Charlie too. Charlie sure hoped so.

"What's your name?" He asks the rancher's son.

"William Evans."

In the future Charlie will come to think of Will as a sort of little brother, a partner in crime. He'll look back on this night and he'll laugh and curse the day the boy ever came into his life. But that is for the future. Something beyond him now.

Right now all Charlie can think about is the two more months before he's done healing and the day that Ben Wade will return for them.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: It has not been Beta-read. I hope you enjoy it and again constructive criticism please if any. These () aren't me inserting my own views. It's like the characters after thought.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS! That should be obvious. This is just for fun and practice.

Chapter 1: Creep

Charlie Prince stood against the wall and peered carefully out the window. It was a habit of course. When you're an outlaw jumping in front of a window is suicide and Charlie isn't all that suicidal. He also had to beware of who was coming in and out of his room as well, because the doctor and the nurses threw a fit whenever they found him standing or moving around. He thought it was a miracle he wasn't hand cuffed to the bed. Hell it was a miracle he wasn't rotting in a cell. The boy, Will, had told him it had something to do with his Pa. That didn't sit all that well with Charlie. But the boss always said 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'. But then the Boss also said 'beware the Greeks baring gifts'. So Charlie tried to do both. He was weary of the Rancher; despite all the things the boy had told him. After all Charlie had shot him. And the rancher was still competition.

When Ben Wade first came across Charlie Prince the boy was blood covered, mad (as in insane), and not too bright. Not to say that Charlie was an idiot, it was just that Charlie never had a proper education. Though he could recite bible verses verbatim, not something he was very proud of then. He learned everything he knew from Ben Wade, and a few of those who had been with the outlaw the longest, like Campos.

Wade had books, most of them were stolen and he rarely kept them for too long, so there was never really more than one or two around. Charlie used to watch him read and was curious about what was so interesting. He knew they weren't bibles, Wade had even confirmed it. One-day Charlie's curiosity got the better of him and he went ahead and stole Ben Wade's book. He spent the next few days feeling frustrated, disappointed and stupid. And when Mr. Ben Wade himself finally (and calmly as per usual) confronted him about the theft (he had been aware of it the whole time and found it all so damn amusing) Charlie felt embarrassed.

But in the end he learned to read.

They inspired him too. Charlie was pretty young when he first joined up with Ben Wade, about twelve or thirteen to be exact. He wasn't allowed to do much either, outside of standing guard, or tending to the horse. On occasion he was allowed to participate in some jobs, but for the most part he was kept away. Not because of his age ("La edad no es nada sino un numero," Campos would say), but because of their first impression of him. Wade wanted to be certain that 1) Charlie wasn't going to turn on them, and 2) that Charlie wasn't going to be liability because of his past. The green eyed youth wanted to prove himself so bad, he desperately wanted to be at Ben Wade's side, and those books fueled that desire, till eventually Charlie became Wade's right hand man.

He was Ben's Mercutio, his Damon. That's how Charlie saw himself and, he was fine with it. But now…Charlie didn't know where he stood. That rancher screwed it all up.

"Doctors gonna have a fit when he sees you ain't in bed Mr. Prince."

"I thought it was to early for you to be in here puttin' guns to my head. You sure are bold'.

Charlie leveled his blank stare on one William Evans. If the kid was anything like his Pa, which based on the two times Charlie had actually met the man he was, then Charlie was certain that he was going to wind up shooting the kid. On principle.

"I'm not stupid, not like them doctors. I saw what Mr. Wade could do with both his hands cuffed. You're suppose to be his second in command, I'm sure your just as bad." The boy gave him a hard look. Charlie didn't bother trying to match him. He just continued to give him the blank stare, and then went back to peeking out the window.

"He ain't there."

"Not looking for him. I don't need too."

"Then what are you staring at?"

"Anything but these damn walls." Charlie grumbled

'Next time the boss says No I'm listening to him.' Charlie cast a quick glance around the room before peaking out the window again. He hated being locked up. Charlie needed to be free to move around, to be in more then one spot for to long. He'd go mad otherwise. Kinter called it wanderlust. Said Charlie was one of them people that needed to see the world just to do it. Jorgenson said Charlie had too much energy, and that he needed to do something with it or else he'd explode. Wade didn't say anything, the boss just observed, stashing whatever he thought was significant away in his head.

"MyPawantstoseeyou." Will says it all in one breath and Charlie gives him a bewildered look as he sorts out the words. Once he realizes what the boy said he gives him a suspicious look.

"The hell he wants me for?"

Will shrugs. The whole time the boy's been standing in that doorway, he's kept his hand near his gun and tried to take up as much space as possible. Charlie thought it was funny that the kid actually believed that he would be able to stop Charlie Prince. He had to hand it to Will though he sure was brave. Stupid, but brave.

"I ain't in the mood to be talkin' to ranchers, or their boys. So fuck off, I'm tired of looking at you." He climbed into his bed and awkwardly settled himself under the covers. The sling and the way his arm was wrapped kept his left limb useless. Something Charlie had to get use to, but not to difficult to get over. He was good with both his hands.

He ignored the boy, who stood at the door a little longer glaring daggers at the back of his head. Finally the kid stomped off, mad as hell that he had been dismissed. Charlie had fallen into a light sleep by then.

*************************************************

Ben Wade was God. That all knowing, vengeful, patient, and powerful force. One doesn't fuck with God and get away with it. Charlie…Charlie was the Devil. He was rotten to the core, a force to be reckoned with. He served God directly by playing opposite, and because of that people earned their stripes. So the rancher, Daniel Evans, was the best of man. He was the perfect combination of good and evil. He could be fair and just, or he could be downright mean and violent. Charlie had seen that much before, and watching the sleeping man now, Charlie could see it. He could see what drew Ben in so completely.

He could smother him in his sleep. It wouldn't jolt his injuries too much and it would satisfy the overwhelming feeling in him. Charlie was ready to burst. Thinking of killing the man gave the blond such a rush that he had to pull back, away from the bed.

He could rape the fucker. Ruin him, so Ben wouldn't look at him. After all the asshole took his Boss (his Ben). Death would be too quick and too merciful. How would he look at his son then? After Charlie ravished him over and over again, viciously. Who'd want him then?

It was a moment of complete madness and it passed. Charlie didn't have it in him to do that to another man. To anyone for that matter, not after what that preacher and his damn uncle had done to him. His uncle was fortunate that Campos had dealt with him. Because what Charlie did to that priest that last night, the night Ben Wade and his gang found him, was down right inhuman.

'No wonder the Boss kept you at a distance for so long. You were only a kid with nothing but your bare hands.'

The moonlight hits Dan just right. Makes him look like something biblical. Something wonderful, and it physically hurts Charlie that he can see it. He and Wade always could see eye to eye (for the most part). The rancher was just so damn interesting, and the bastard hadn't even said a word yet!

The boy was nowhere insight. He had probably gone to check on his mother and brother (Charlie had seen them once) that or escorted them home. Charlie wasn't sure and he really didn't give a damn either. Just so long at the runt was out of his hair!

Spotting a chair Charlie grabbed it and dragged it to the other side of the room. The side closest to the door. Just in case, and sat in it. His green eyes stared intently down at the sleeping man. Charlie was very observant; at least that was what the Boss had once told him. He could catch on to things after watching them for a while. Not all things but people and animals. He read their body language and could tell you exactly how they were feeling, by simply telling you how it made him feel, and he was hardly ever wrong. He could also stare at a wall for a day and tell you about every nook and cranny in it. Hell he could tell you where the pests were coming in. But he hadn't been able to number the stars yet. Charlie also hadn't quite mastered Ben Wade either. He figured he'd probably never get either of them down, but he liked that. Made life interesting.

He could read the rancher. There was a tightness to him that spoke of stress and wounded pride. Like a dog that had been kicked around and still refused to back down. There was strength in that face, but there was definitely uncertainty. Like he wasn't sure where he stood in this world anymore either. Resilience, intelligence, kindness, and passion. Charlie was sure that was just the tip of the ice burg. Ben was only ever interested in complex things.

Charlie reached out with his good hand and traced the right side of the ranchers jaw, then let his fingers wander low stopping at his neck. His pupils dilated and again a fit of madness washed over him. He squeezed, standing up so that he had a better hold on the man. The ranchers eyes shot open, they were green when Charlie had first met him, now they looked gray. Even the bastard's eyes were fascinating. He squeezed harder.

"S..st…sto….stop." The rancher managed to gurgle out.

Charlie wasn't listening.

"W..Wade. S…sai…said…n…no!" He gasped and Charlie immediately let go.

'Damn it! I did it again!' He thought to himself.

Daniel Evans gasped in big breaths of air, wincing as the very act made his already battered form ache all the more. His lungs were burning him, and even though the hand was gone he could still feel the pressure on his neck.

"Just be lucky this arm's still all wrapped up. I'd have snapped your neck quicker. Just got four weeks and then they'll take the damn thing off." Charlie mumbled.

Dan didn't answer. He couldn't really.

The room went silent. Quitter than Charlie was currently accustomed too. The boy may not have trusted him, but he could sure talk. It was like he never had nothing to say. It was irritating at times, mostly because it was forced, but at others…sound caused Charlie's nerves to settle.

"Wade escaped."

"When?"

"Few weeks back. Butterfield told me. I'm telling you because I think you know what he's going to do next."

"Ain't helping you send him back," Charlie growled at maliciously.

Dan shook his head, " I have no intention of sending him back. He's free and I owe him for what he did…that day," Dan gave Charlie's injured shoulder and torso a pointed look.

"So what do you wanna know?"

"Is he coming back for you?"

'I hope so,' Charlie thought.

"Probably not," he replied.

"You came for him."

"Charlie Prince needs Ben Wade. He serves him as loyally as he can. But Ben Wade doesn't need Charlie Prince. Besides I wouldn't stand for him puttin' himself out there like that for me."

Dan gave him a look, one that told Charlie he didn't quite agree with his logic. But he understood it, or at least where it came from.

"He'd comeback for you though." Charlie Whispered to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothin'. Go back to sleep, I'm finish talking to you." He stood up from the chair and headed for the exit as quickly as he could without looking back.

"They shaved your face I see."

"That they did. I ain't happy about it though."

Dan smiled up and turned his head so he could look at the younger man's retreating form.

"Makes you look younger and handsome. I'd have mistook you for a decent young man, if it weren't for the fact that I know better."

"I ain't like the Boss. Ain't nothing subtle about me."


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Merci to handful-ofdust for beta-reading this pour moi. Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS! That should be obvious. This is just for fun and practice.

Chapter 2: Damn It Wade

This has become Charlie's Window, his own personal connection to this building, and this room. Through it, he sees things the way he thinks the building would see them. He likes the idea, and in his own mind it makes perfect sense. Besides, it gives him an excuse to ignore the Evans men.

In the last few weeks, Charlie seems to have become some sort of Rancher Magnet. If it's not the overly anxious runt, then it's the silent, stubborn-ass father. Mr. Evans now has a wheelchair, which makes everyone on his side of the fence content…well, almost everyone.

Through the window, Charlie has also been observing a rather interesting development between one Mr. Butterfield and one Mrs. Evans. Nothing too spectacular, mind you. Its not like they stand outside his window and fuck like rabbits. Charlie doesn't think that's even happened yet. But there is definitely a mutual attraction there. Charlie can see it plain as day on both their faces, in the lingering touches, the brush of hands, even the way they stand. Something about the whole thing turns him on.

Charlie thinks Mr. Evans and his little lady haven't been at it in far too long. He thinks Mrs. Evans has long since moved on, in her heart, but has stayed in this marriage for the sake of her children and the man she pledged her life to. Ben used to tell him there were many forms of love out there Ben used to tell him there were many forms of love out there-

'Yeah, and then he pounded you into the bed.'

-and Charlie's sure that's what he's seeing now. Question is what's Charlie going to do with that information?

'You could break him.'

But he doesn't want to say anything to the rancher. He doesn't want to be in the middle of this fiasco. He swore to himself that he was going to prove to the Boss that he's learned his lesson. That means leaving the rancher and his lot alone. He's not going to give into the urge to snap the kid's neck, nor is he going to hurl that rancher onto the floor and alternate between killing and fucking him.

'Wonder if the Boss felt that way.'

Closing his green eyes, Charlie takes a deep breath. He's feeling…itchy. Like if he had his guns on him, he'd be trigger-happy. He's spent the whole night prowling around his room, like a caged wildcat. Nez used to say that Charlie had been born with the spirit of a puma. The gang would laugh at that, of course, but Nez was convinced that he was right. Said Charlie had the ability to walk into other realities, and be sensitive to the state of things around him. Said Charlie's intense unblinking stare could see into the very depths of a man's soul.

He misses Nez and Campos, and Sutherland and Jorgenson, too. They were part of the original band, before Jackson and Kinter came along. Those two shouldn't have been with them. Charlie trusted them as far as he could throw them. But the Boss allowed them to join up, despite knowing where they came from and whom they used to work for. Charlie was sure that all that was going to come back and bite them in the ass.

"What are you seeing behind them closed lids, Charlie Prince? What do you feel?"

"Something bad 's coming Boss. It's too quiet, it's never been this quite before."

To his credit, Charlie remains rooted firmly to the ground. He didn't jump when Ben spoke, and he doesn't rush to him like some kind of lovesick pup, either.

"Sharp as ever. We got a problem on our hands, and I'm afraid I'm going to be needin' your help, Charlie."

Charlie turns slightly to regard Ben Wade. His green eyes rove over every visible part of the man, just taking him in. Charlie needs to know he ain't dreaming again. Because he's dreamt of this before.

'But it wasn't quiet, in those dreams.'

"Anything, Boss."

Ben doesn't question Charlie, and that's the beauty of it. He doesn't need to. Charlie Prince is his, and he's more than aware of it…nothing short of Ben dying will change that. Blind love and loyalty to Ben Wade are Charlie Prince's only virtues.

"I believe there is still a family of ranchers in this town. We'll be needing to get them out."

"Not just the one?"

Ben shakes his head. "Not yet."

"Should leave the wife. She doesn't want him. Then you can have him all to yourself."

There's that winsome smile on Ben's face.

"What makes you think that's what I want, Mr. Prince?"

Charlie turns to face Ben fully. His green eyes fix on Ben, as they always do whenever Ben is around.

'There's that look,' Ben thinks. 'The one Nez was always crying about.'

"Because it's what I want, too," says Charlie.

***

"We friends now, Dan?"

Dan jumps so hard he jostles his wounds. Shooting Ben Wade a cross between a wince and a glare, Dan checks his bandages for signs of blood. Ignoring Ben as he steps further into the room and moves closer to his bedside, Dan grumbles to himself before looking at Ben again.

"God damn it, Wade! You could have given me a heart attack." Dan snaps.

Ben smiles, and shrugs. He's now standing over the angry rancher, looking as though he shouldn't be worried about said rancher's temper. Dan looks around the room for his prosthetic foot, seeing as he feels quite naked without it in Ben's presence. He's failing miserably at finding the damn thing, but he's not about to let Ben know that.

"Still stubborn as hell."

"Ain't stubborn." Dan automatically replies.

"Of course not. You going to look at me, or are you going to keep looking for something that isn't there?"

"I'm looking for my damn foot, Wade!" Dan yelps out the last bit, as he feels the bed shift in Ben's direction. He looks up, and sure enough, Ben is leaning over him, arms braced on either side of him, with his face an inch away. There are those amused eyes, and those sly lips. Dan feels very uncomfortable; embarrassed, really, because his face is burning-up, and he's sure he's turned at least three shades of red.

"Foot's in the wheelchair, and the wheelchair is with me, Dan. So how about you stop averting your eyes, and give me a proper hello? You owe me at least that much."

"Owe you more," Dan replies, dazedly.

In his mind, Dan is seeing that day in Contention all over again…from the bridal suite to the streets, to the roofs, to the train station. He sees Ben looking down at him with this shocked and hopeless look. Dan's never seen a look like that on Ben's face during all their time together. Not even when Dan's boy snuck up behind Ben, ready to blow his brains all over the canyon.

"Ah, so you agree. I can think of quite a few ways you can pay me back." Ben brushes his lips over Dan's jaw, and Dan nearly punches him. Luckily for Ben, he jumps away just in time, laughing as he went. Dan curses Ben's good reflexes.

"Now, now, Dan! It was a joke."

"I'm sure. You here for your man?"

"Mr. Prince? He's an added bonus."

"And the over-all prize?" Dan doesn't really want to know the answer.

"Why—you, of course."

The rancher gives the outlaw a deadpan look. Dan wants to think Ben's joking, but he knows he probably isn't. He doesn't want to get sucked up into Ben Wade's life again. He just wants to go home, tend to his farm, play with his boys, and live out his days with Alice. Is that too much to ask for? He wonders. Because it seems to him that God decided to answer his prayers for a favor,for away to better his life and the life of his family, with the one person that seems to attract danger, Ben.

"You're going to be the death of me, Wade."

"Ben. And how so? If that were true, you'd be dead already, don't you think? In fact I'd go as far as saying that I am your lucky charm. What with your miraculous recovery and all…"

'So we're back to that again,' Dan thinks.

But when the rancher goes to reply, but pauses when he sees the sudden serious look on Ben's face. His eyes are focused on Dan's neck, and Dan is trying to think of anything that could possibly make Ben look as murderous as he does in that moment. Then he thinks of that fateful day again, and remembers the same look being directed at Charlie Prince. Charlie Prince, who shot Dan. Charlie Prince, who recently strangled him.

Charlie Prince, who left one hell of a bruise on his neck.

'Shit.'

"Apparently, Charlie Prince hasn't quite learned his lesson, after all."

Dan's eyes widen, and he shakes his head.

"He didn't mean to. It was a fit of madness that's all. It happened weeks ago, and hasn't happened since."

It's never really crossed Dan's mind exactly why he's already gone to such great lengths to protect Charlie. After all, the green-eyed blond had shot him, several times, and would have left him for dead. Dan simply did. He begged the Union Pacific Railroad to let him stay and heal, rather than get slung in jail. He practically demanded they do it, reminding them that it was on their behalf that he had gone head to head with Ben's gang and the whole damn town on his own. And now here he was, begging Ben to let Charlie Prince be. Now that he really thought about it, Dan had to wonder…what was the point?

"You're defending him? I'm not sure I like the forgiving part of you, Dan. It's completely irrational, 'specially when it's not applied to me."

"Go to hell, Wade."

"Only if you're coming with…"

That's when the explosion sounded—and while Dan was immediately hit with sudden fear for his family, he had to admit it was funny to see the look on Ben Wade's face when he realizes why he's cut short.

'Priceless,' Dan thought.


	4. Chapter 3

"_Have faith in nothing or you'll believe in everything. I believe the receptor when we fuck. We fuck to songs that have no rhythm and that's why I'm so in love with you. I'm so in love that if you turned your back I'd claw your fucking spine away." ~ Male Hooker In A Bathtub by Scott Gross_

Chapter Three: Need

"Boss, they're here!" Charlie says, rounding the corner into the hallway. By this time, Ben has already managed to get Dan into the wheelchair and kidnap his prosthetic foot all in one shot. The miffed look on Dan's face is evident, but it does nothing to deter Ben. In fact, Ben has already commented on how cute it makes Dan look.

"Fucking Wade," Dan grumbles.

"Now, now, Dan. Can't you at least say Ben when you curse me?"

"Hell, no. You'd enjoy it too much." Dan snaps. His eyes wander around the hallway, stopping when they land on Charlie's form. And it is Charlie Prince, the one who threatened to burn down Bisbee, the one who offered two hundred dollars to any man to kill Ben's captors, and the one who unloaded four bullets into Dan's body.

Dressed once again in his Confederate shell jacket, and orange cowhide pants, there's a look in Charlie's eyes that wasn't there before. Every time Dan has seen Charlie Prince before, the younger man looked almost dead to the world. The only time Dan can remember seeing any spark in his eyes was the night Charlie strangled him. His eyes were full of fire then, green orbs damn well glowing with madness. Now they were full of pride, and eagerness.

"You see who's leading the hunt?"

"Hank Wightman, and Bill Skinner." Charlie tells Ben, and Dan curses his wandering thoughts.

"Who are they?" he asks.

"No time for that now, Dan. We have to go." Ben replies—his tone, for all intents and purposes, cheerful. It makes Dan suspicious.

Ben starts pushing the chair, and soon they're all but running out of the city. The whole time, Dan's sitting there having a damn heart attack, because they've already passed the hotel the Alice said they were staying in. He starts trying to rock the wheelchair, but Ben's got a good grip on it, and he's not stopping for anyone. More explosions go off somewhere behind them, and Dan's ready to throw himself out of the chair.

"What about my boys, Wade? My wife—"

"Mr. Prince here has already gotten them to safety. Ain't that right, Charlie?" Ben assures Dan, speeding up when he sees Contention town limits.

"Wasn't easy, either." Charlie says, breathlessly. "That son of yours, the eldest one, he's a pain in the ass. Fought me every step of the damn way."

"See? All is well. Trust me, Dan."

'_Trust._' Dan thinks, then sighs.

They are just outside the city when a shot rings out, and Charlie hits the ground with a curse, his hat flying right off his head. Scrambling to his feet and over to his hat, Charlie touches the side of his head, checking for blood. The bullets clipped him, but that's all. There's a nice gash there; Dan can see it, when he turns to look at Charlie.

"You okay, Charlie?" Ben calls, stopping a few feet ahead of Charlie and looking back at his second in command. Dan watches Charlie's hand go for one of his Scholfields.

"Son of a…" Charlie growls, and turns and storms back, his gun out and aimed within a blink of an eye. Within two more blinks, the man who shot at him is hunched over his horse, screaming for his companions. Charlie shoots at the ground around the horse, spooks it so badly that the animal rears up and drops his rider. The horse storms off as if the devil himself was on its heels, and drags its rider along with it. Charlie takes another shot, and the rider goes quiet, Charlie's final bullet lodged in the center of his brain.

Four shots. Dan flinches every time he hears one go off, and puts his head in his hands when the final one sounds. He remembers the feel of those bullets, remembers the dread he felt when he realized he was going to die. That he wasn't going back home to see his wife, and be with his family during the good times to come. The he wasn't going to see his boys grow into men and live their lives. Dan shakes, shakes so bad that Ben feels the chair tremble. Dan misses the concerned look the outlaw gives him. He misses the way Charlie freezes when Ben turns his gaze onto him, his eyes cold.

"You alright, Dan?"

Dan nods, and Ben accepts that. They move on.

***

They reach the outcrop some three hours later, and all three of them are exhausted—Ben and Charlie more than Dan, seeing as they were the ones who had to walk and push him along. Dan remarks that all Ben had to do was give him back his foot. Ben scoffs at him, and Charlie snickers.

Charlie Prince drops right next to the fire. Just lays there, tired and sour. His shoulder aches something terrible. The doctors told him that when the sling and everything came off, he would still have to deal with that-…the soreness, and building up strength in his unused arm. Right then. Charlie decided that he would start getting used to holding his gun again as soon as possible.

"You're bleeding."

Charlie cracks open his eyes and looks at Ben, who's standing beside him. He hears Dan on the other side of the fire talking to his wife and kids. Butterfield is here too; plastered to Mrs. Evans' side, Charlie's sure.

"Flesh wound. I'll be okay. How about you, Boss?"

"I'm just fine, Charlie. Need to have a word with you."

Charlie nods, and drags himself up from the floor. He doesn't want to get up, mind you; he had just begun to slip into the world of dreams when Ben came over. But because this is Ben, Charlie isn't going to put up a fight. As he said before, he'll do anything for Ben.

They walk to around the outcrop, then climb up. Charlie is sure watch will be taken from here, and he's even more certain he's going to be the one who gets first duty.

"Tell me, Charlie…how did it feel, strangling Dan?"

'Glorious.' Charlie thinks.

"Right." He tells Ben.

The blow catches Charlie across the cheek, on the same side as the cut. The combined feeling of pain from them both sends Charlie's mind reeling. He sees stars explode in front of his eyes and hits the ground, catching himself on his elbows. Ben's got a hold on his coat, and he jerks Charlie up. When the blonde's vision begins to clear, he finds Ben crouched over him, his gaze heated, his face inches away. Takes all his willpower to be still and not make a sound, and Charlie wants to moan, wants to arch up against Ben's crotch and grind.

"Rein in that temper of yours Charlie, or so help me, I'll rein it in for you."

Ben's all calm and self-control. Charlie wants that, wants it so badly he can taste it. Without thinking, Charlie leans forward, brushes his lips along Ben's cheeks and down his neck. Charlie stops, then, and buries his face where Ben's shoulder and neck meet. He breaths deeply, takes in the smell of Wade, savors it. He nuzzles Ben, feels tears well up in his eyes, as the feelings inside him build to the point of exploding. They overwhelm him, and all at once, Charlie is ready to tear himself apart. He's crazy as it is, without Ben there. But with Ben around, and this close to him…Charlie comes undone.

" 'm sorry boss." And he genuinely is.

"I forgive you, Charlie." Ben speaks as if he's talking to a child.

Ben goes to move, but Charlie isn't ready to let go. Not just yet. He reaches out in a panic and wraps his arms around his boss, pulling him close. The action throws them both off-balance, and they fall back to the ground. Charlie doesn't let go, even when Ben starts cursing.

"Charlie!" Ben growls out, and pushes himself up. He hovers over Charlie, and Charlie stares up at him like he's God…and to Charlie, he is God. To Charlie, he is everything.

Something happened when Ben was taken, in Charlie, while Ben was absent. It's not till now that Charlie's realized it. He wants to tell Ben something important, but he can't form the words…hell, he doesn't even know what the words are. So instead, he digs his nails into Wade's back and crushes his mouth to the Boss's. He doesn't expect Wade to respond, at least not with a kiss.

But Wade does kiss him back, with an intensity that matches his own.

It's not long before Charlie starts to squirm and writhe. He arches to grind against Ben—but Ben, being Ben, pins Charlie's hips down with both hands and begins to suck on Charlie's neck. The blond-haired, green-eyes man pants and bites his tongue to stop the frustrated sounds begging to get free. Charlie is frantic; Ben is composed. He watches Charlie's reaction when he nips his throat, when he grinds against him briefly, when he whispers his name.

Ben loves to study people, Charlie knows this because he's been one of Ben's subjects, and still is. To Charlie, this is both the greatest honor and the worst kind of torture. Because Ben likes to play games, likes to rile people up…and it doesn't take much to rile Charlie up.

"Boss… please."

Ben caresses Charlie's thigh through his pants.

"Please."

Ben licks the shell of his ear.

"Boss…" Charlie pleads. Ben stares down at him, amused, and palms the bulge in Charlie's chaps at a maddeningly slow pace.

Charlie digs the heels of his palm into his eyes. Ben's free hand jerks Charlie's head back by the hair, and Charlie moves his hands away.

"You look flushed, Charlie." Ben purrs.

"God," Charlie groans.

Ben squeezes Charlie's member, and Charlie keens.

"I believe you've just broken the third commandment, Charlie."

Ben squeezes again, and grinds his palm roughly against the bulge.

"Jesus…" Charlie bites his knuckles, as he groans the word.

"Blasphemy, Charlie."

"Faster…"

"Are you demanding things of me, Charlie?" Again, Ben is amused; Charlie doesn't need to look at his face to see it. He can hear the laughter in Ben's voice.

"Wade! Prince! You two all right?" Dan calls from somewhere on the ground, and Ben moves away from Charlie. He goes to the edge and looks down.

'_Fucking Rancher_!' Charlie roars, in his head.

"We're good, Dan. Be there in a moment."

"Good, 'cause we gotta talk."

"Sure thing, Dan."

Ben looks over at the disheveled and dissatisfied Charlie, and Charlie gazes back at him pleadingly. Ben grins, gives him a wink, tips his hat and heads back the way they came.

"Have a good night, Mr. Prince."

Charlie stares up at the stars trying to calm his breathing and compose him-self. He's awake now, wide-awake. Sitting up, he fixes his clothes and his hair, tries to make himself look decent just in case anyone comes around. Just in case Manson's crew finds them…that thought alone sobers him up, a bit.

Manson's an old rival of Ben's. They go way back, when Ben was still young and getting his start in the world. They worked together, at one point. They were even friends. But competition for their Boss's favor, and just the general need to one-up each other, drove them apart. Manson wound up killing their Boss; tried to take out Ben too, but Ben was crafty, and tricked Manson into letting him live. Then got Manson imprisoned.

When Charlie met Manson, the man had his own crew, and Charlie had been just a boy…a nasty bunch, who made most of the men that rode with Ben and Charlie look like kittens. Manson was one sick fuck, so he naturally attracted others like him. They were a detestable lot. In fact, Manson had been the reason Charlie wound up in his uncle's hands.

The second time they met, Manson and his boys had dared to try and go head to head with Ben's gang on a job. Almost ruined it, too, which pissed Ben off, and that inevitably pissed Charlie off. At the end of that whole business, Charlie had caught Both Manson's and a man named Logan's eyes, and two thirds of Manson's large band was either dead or begging for death.

"'A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction. Galatians, 6:8,'"Ben had said, then.

"I'll say Amen to that." Charlie whispers, out loud.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Of Princes and Wills

_I'd listen to the words he'd say_

_but in his voice I heard decay_

_the plastic face forced to portray_

_all the insides left cold and gray_

_there is a place that still remains_

_it eats the fear it eats the pain_

_the sweetest price he'll have to pay_

_the day the whole world went away~ The Day The Whole World Went Away by Nine Inch Nails_

Were they in a building, Wade would have though the young ones breathing was the wind rattling the windows. But they aren't and the sound unsettles him a bit. He sits up, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, and then he gets to his feet and heads over to the sleeping child. Alice and Dan are next to him, actively comforting him as he sleeps. There's so much love in their eyes that Wade falters in his steps.

"He ok Dan?"

"He'd be better in a warm room with a warm bed. But we can't move now anyway, can we," Dan replies. To Ben he sounds more distracted and concerned then angry and bitter. So Ben let's the comment go. Taking his own blanket, Ben moved close and covered the boy with it. The more warmth the better.

"He can have Charlie's too," Ben offers.

"Thank you…Ben." Dan looks up at him gratefully. For that alone Ben thinks it's worth it. That and the fact that Dan says his name, and it sounds amazing on Dan's tongue.

It's been a half hour since Ben left Charlie on watch. In another two he'll have to relieve his second in command. He doubts Charlie will leave him. The younger man will go the next few nights without sleep if only to assure himself that Ben is both safe and present. Ben's worried about how this will play out though.

Ben's explained to Dan already just who it was that attacked Contention. He's told him about Manson, his crew, and their relation to Ben and his old crew. Ben's made sure to warn Dan about Logan, Manson's left hand. Tells him about how Logan had served the south during the war but enjoyed the killing so much that he turned on his own and wound up deserting when he was found out. Logan had been no more then sixteen then and Manson recruited him when he was about eighteen.

What Ben hasn't related is exactly why Manson had become more aggressive in his hunt. How Jackson and Kinter, two of the men in his band, had been related to Manson's right hand, and how their deaths didn't sit well with Manson's band. Nor did he tell him that after he had escaped from Yuma he had made a quick pit stop at a place run, and owned by Manson, and robbed it blind. He probably should have, but he felt that coming morning Dan would have enough to deal with on his plate. What his wife getting really cozy with Mr. Butterfield. That and Dan had looked as though he were tempted to bludgeon Ben with that prothstetic foot of his ("Damn it Wade, you attract nothin' but trouble!").

"You know its kinda funny ain't it?" Dan's low voice drags Ben back to the present.

"What is Dan?" Ben asks, taking a seat closer to the Rancher and his sickly son.

"We always wind up in contention." Dan has a smile on his face. Not a fake one, or a half smile, but a genuine smile. Ben hasn't seen that since…

Ben begins to chuckle and so does Dan, and soon their both laughing.

************

Three hours later and Charlie's taken off watch. Ben sends him to go gets some rest, and tells him to eat something. Charlie is hesitant to leave but does so after Ben threatens to throw him over the top of the outcrop. When he gets to the bottom he learns that his stuff has been offered to the youngest Evans. He sees Dan sleeping, peacefully, curled up next to his boy and finds his wife on the same position on the other side of the child. He wonders whether or not it's a coincidence that Butterfield is not all that far from her. Three rolls in his sleep and the man would be right behind her. He had no idea where the hell the eldest son is, and that puts him off a bit. The runt has this horrible habit of interrupting Charlie's sleep.

Takes a minute for Charlie to register the sound of the little ranchers breathing. It sounds so familiar to him that he freezes and just focuses on the child's breathing. In his mind Charlie pictures a small girl, about four or five years old, with a heart shaped face and hair like gold. She's smiling, the smile that only children can smile, even though she's pale and sickly. He knows she's his sister, though the memory feels distant and misplaced. Its clear to him for a moment then begins to blur, and no matter how hard he squints he can't make it comeback into focus. Eventually the girl vanishes.

Her name was Michelle.

******************

"Mark's got tuberculosis."

"No shit," Charlie mumbles.

Neither one of them says anything else after that. Normally Will rambles about stuff after sometime. He talks a lot of nonsense he knows, but he can't help it, Charlie Prince makes him nervous. The man is just so quite, and not a calm quite either, but the quite just before the storm. He moves like some kind of animal, prowling, around his room restlessly back at the infirmary. Of course it didn't really register with Will just how much of a predator Charlie was 'till tonight.

When Ben Wade walked into a room, he looked around with a confident smile on his face. Wade was like a peacock, flaunting himself proudly and daring anyone to act like they weren't interested. He exuded charm, and he was such a hard man to hate. But Charlie Prince… Will shutter as he thought back to the hotel. Charlie walked into the room and would go on unfazed; he didn't make a show of looking around. Instead Charlie would look straight ahead, and, if you were in his line of sight, right through you. When that happened… Will remembered being nervous. He felt skittish, and hunted.

"Is it true…What they say about Manson and his crew?"

"What do they say?"

Will ignored Charlie's sardonic tone, "That they're really evil. That they serve the devil himself?"

"Everyone serves the devil."

"Not like them."

Charlie says nothing, so Will continues.

"I hear Manson's got cannibals in his crew, and that if you make him angry he'll let them have ya."

"Never pegged you to be trusting bed time stories. Then again you are a kid, so your scrawny ass is ten times more gullible."

"Fuck you." Will voices his opinion on Charlie's amusement and Charlie chuckles at Will's outburst.

"So what's so bad about them, what makes you two any different? What makes Ben Wade any…" Will gasps when Charlie suddenly pounces on him, pinning him down successfully and totally immobilizing him. He holds Will's arms above his head by the wrist with one hand; the other jams a Scholfiled under wills chin. Will feels a rush of panic, but he's to scared to move.

"This is the difference," Charlie pulls back the hammer and Wills eyes widen. The hammer slams down and Will's heart stops…but he's not dead.

"Wade has a rules. We kill when we have to and if we have too, and only then. We don't go around killin' babies and their mamas and we kill their pa's only if they try to kill us. It's not done for sport, its done out of necessity."

"You tried to kill my pa for no reason!"

" Charlie moves the gun and gets into Will's face and Will, for once, wishes he had quit while he was ahead.

"He took what I love!"

"To save what he loves!" Will snaps.

They glare at each other for a long while. Will tries to his damnest to look braver then he feels and Charlie tries to reign in his temper.

"The boss punished me good for what I done. I learned my lesson. But Ben ain't nothing like Manson and his boys." Charlie stands, letting go of Will's wrist.

Will has no clue what he should do or say. He's never been in this position before. This is more his pa's territory then his own.

'Speaking of which.' Will peers around Charlie; surprised to see they didn't wake anyone. The boy's attention goes back to the green-eyed blonde, studying him in the only way Will knows how. By comparing him to his father, and Will sees a quality his father once had in Charlie. He sees something struggling to break free. For his pa, Will understood later, it was the man he wanted to be and that he felt he could never become; a man of action and principle. The very man who put Ben Wade on a train when no one else would. Will often thinks his father should have been a sheriff, not a rancher. In Charlie, Will sees an animal trying to claw its way out. Something wild and beautiful, Wills sure. And in all the time Will has watched Charlie, these past three months, that animal, that rage, has never been more prevalent than it was in that moment and back in town.

"What did Manson take from you?"

"Everything."

The next morning Will crawls out from underneath his blanket with a terrible urge to pee. He groggily makes his way to a nice secluded bush and promptly relieves himself. As he stands there he slowly begins to really wake up. Taking in the light and the scenery. He can almost see Contention from his spot. Though he gets more smoke than town anyway. Sound also begins to come clearer. The sound of birds chirping somewhere, insects buzzing about, a women and man moaning in pleasure.

Its not till he's halfway back to their camp that Will is hit with the feeling that one of the sounds he had heard was out of place. At this point the teenage boy back tracks, looking just as bewildered as he felt. When he bets back to the spot near where he had been standing he takes a listen.

'_Birds, insects…moaning._' Curiosity killed the cat, but Will's no cat so he doubts there will be any ramification to him looking around. He follows the sounds to a place, some fourteen feet away, covered in brush. He uses all his stealth skills to get closer, feeling very smug when he gets within peeking distance without them so much as pausing in their actions. Then Will peers through the brush at the pair, sees his mother and Butterfield half-naked, sharing a heated kiss.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Not theBest chapter mind you, and I'm sorry for taking forever to put this out. Considering how short this isI hope you guys can forgive me. Writer's Block sucks. -_-

Disclaimer: Really now would I be writing this as a fanfic if I did own it? Obviously this belongs to people that are not me.

* * *

Chapter 5: Twice

Ben knew from the start that getting this group back to the Evan's family ranch in one piece was going to be one hell of a mission. But he figured that he was clever, and with Charlie Prince there to back him things would run relatively smooth. He had actually counted on Mrs. Evans infidelity, hell he even counted on it being with that son of a bitch railroad man. He had not anticipated the boy being the first one to find out. And that morning Ben Wade, went from outlaw to bodyguard in three seconds flat. Dan was too stunned to really react. Ben guessed that it wasn't so much that he hadn't seen this coming, as it was that he was hoping it wouldn't. As for William, Charlie had to tackle the boy to the ground and sit on him, to keep him from blowing Mr. Butterfield's head clean off.

"Get the hell off me. I'm gonna kill him!" The boy hollered, as he scrambled, in vain, beneath a very pleased looking Charlie.

"Can't have that kid. Its time for you to shut up and let the grown ups handle this." Charlie drawled, betraying none of the enjoyment on his face.

And they did handle it. Ben, Dan, Alice, and Mr. Butterfield sat together in the shade, away from Charlie and the children. Dan was amazingly calm, Ben had expected him to react in the same manner as his son had. But the man was the embodiment of peace. He let Alice speak, listened intently to what she had to say. Not once did he interrupt, and there were times where Ben was sure he wanted to jump in and set the record straight, because those were the times Ben wanted to jump in. When Alice was done, all eyes immediately focused on Dan.

The Rancher didn't say anything for quite sometime. He just sat there in thought. Gathering his words and going over what was said. It was something that Ben admired about Dan. He rarely ever said anything, without thinking it through. The only thing Ben hated about Dan's thoughtful silence was that the man wasn't thinking about himself, but of everyone else.

"This is what you want?" He asked his head still bowed in thought. To Ben he sounded tired.

"Yes," Alice replied without missing a beat.

"And you think it would be best for the boys?"

Both adults answered this time. Ben appreciated that fact that they had the decency to look ashamed, or wary, even if Dan wasn't looking at them yet. It was the least they could do. Though Ben felt they owed the Rancher a hell of a lot more.

Dan said nothing else. The man just stood up and walked away. And perhaps nothing else needed to be said. The answer had been obvious from the start. Ben had seen it coming from a mile away, and part of him, the decent part, felt a twinge of sorrow for Dan.

It wouldn't last.


End file.
